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“Education, education, education” By Dr. Anthony Akinola
It was reported in several Nigerian newspapers that Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, endowed a professorial chair in Mathematics at the University of Nigeria , Nzukka. The highly-esteemed religious leader was reported to have, in the past, also made similar endowments to the universities of Ibadan and Lagos . This thoughtful contribution of his deserves commendation, as do the contributions of others in the all-important area of education.
The need and demand for education will know no bounds. Tony Blair, erstwhile Prime Minister of Great Britain, talked emphatically of "Education, education, education" while unveiling the priorities of the Labour government in 2007. If education still enjoys pride of place in a nation that has had education for more than a thousand years, it simply means it cannot be any less in a developing nation such as ours. Education provides the key to development; any nation that genuinely seeks development and an end to ignorance, must begin with the education of its citizens. Education is the route to achieving the much desired unity that has elluded our nation for many decades.
The colonial masters sowed the seed of disunity in Nigeria when they chose an opportuinistic approach to education. If Western education had been emphasised in the North as it was in the South, Nigerians might have had a better understanding of themselves today. However, it serves no useful purpose blaming the colonial mnasters whose priority might have been exploitation rather than development; the blame is with post-independence Nigerian governments which have failed woefully to redress what was an historical imbalance in spite of abundant opportunities to do so. A new generation of Nigerian leaders must now take up the challenge and redirect the course of history to the benefit of all.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration must make education its priority. This same clarion call goes to the various state governments and Local Government Councils .. They must fund education as well as develop educational policies that help, in the long run, to achieve the objectives of development and a balanced federation. Our education must be geared towards reducing religious bigotry, because it is in doing this that the future of Nigeria can be secured.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration must direct its focus to the North. One does not seek to patronise or insult by making this suggestion; on the contrary, the suggestion arises from one's aspiration for a truly united and purposeful Nigerian nation. The Jonathan administration would need to admonish religious and political leaders of the need to reduce the problems posed by lopsided education and poverty, even as the latter is a national scourge of embarrassing proportions.
The truth of the matter, forget about their corruption, is that no government is rich enough to fulfil all the educational aspirations of its people. The privileged among us must contribute their quota in making education available to all. Those who have benefitted from education and are now comfortable must remember to "plough back" into society and their former institutions. This has been one culture that keeps the great educational institutions of Europe and America at the very top. The culture of wanting to make our former schools, colleges and universities better than we left them, must be embraced by all.
The example of Pastor Adejare Adeboye is worth celebrating as well as emulating. We must use our wealth to promote education and the unity of Nigeria. The unity of Nigeria is important, even viewed from a selfish point of view. A proprietor whose newspaper is selling 250,000 copies a day may have to make do with less than 5,000 if that locality of his or hers were to become an independent nation! Our future is enhanced or diminished by what becomes of Nigeria!!!
Our nation boasts of the richest African in the person of Alhaji Aliko Dangote.. The message to Dangote is that there is a world of difference between being famous and being great. "Fame" is a temporary phenomenon while "greatness" is enduring. A Dangote Foundation, if one does not already exist, could do for Nigeria what the Ford Foundation has been doing beyond the borders of the United States of America. The famous businessman can use his colossal wealth to take the education revolution to the North of Nigeria in particular, and the whole of Nigeria generally. Mr Dangote and our men and women of financial means can write their names in gold by seizing upon the moment of history.
Nigerians are generally kind and generous. The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi awarded many scholarships to Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic and religious origins. The late Chief MKO Abiola once gave a million naira - a colossal sum in those days - to each of the then existing universities. Chief Wole Olanipekun has been making a difference in the lives of the younger generation in Ekiti State. There are numerous others, not known to this writer who are doing their own bit for posterity. However, what one is advocating for the mega rich is an endowment of a lasting span and impact such as the Rhodes Scholarship established at the University of Oxford in 1902 and the Ford Foundation established in 1936.
Of course, we can all play our part in the crusade to make our society one of educated men and women. Education is a continuing process, even for the educated elite. Every village, town and city deserves to have a functioning public library. There should be no excuse for a truly educated individual not to be able to read a newspaper on a daily basis. The Local Government Councils have a duty to establish public libraries, while public spirited men and women can continue to sustain such libraries with various donations that include books. Our pensioners can relive their working lives by helping their communities in volutary capacities. We do not all have to be "His or Her Excellencies" to drive Nigeria forward. |